A Trio Unbroken
by Destati
Summary: Kairi and Sora are finally together, but Kairi begins to suspect that Riku could have feelings for Sora. Warning, goes into yaoi! Chapters going under construction for improvement.
1. A New Relationship

Author's Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, etc. etc. 

A few notes: I've seen many of these types of stories, but I'm going to try to make it different ^^;  It's my first fanfiction ever, so if you feel like you need to flame me for my not so great work, feel free. I could use criticism, especially since it has been so long since I've written at all. Also, for any Kairi-haters…forgive me, but I do not do "Kairi bashing," because I believe that it does not do justice to her character. I don't mean to criticize you, I'm just explaining why I don't do it. Also, I do not hate her personally, which is probably the main reason. 

Onto the story!

It was a traditional sunny day on Destiny Island. If there were one word to describe this faraway island, it would be paradise. The sky was perfectly clear, blue as the ocean that reflected in it, and scattered, white puffy clouds ran across it, circling the small island with the warm breeze. Children ran around freely and all, most of the time, got along fine with each other. But as all children grow up, they face much more difficulties with one another. Young love often blossomed between the young inhabitants that often caused jealousy, separations, and worst of all, breaking up with friends.

A certain bunch of children would be especially affected with the changes that growing up brings. They were very well-known on the island, since they were often seen together. Resentfulness, jealousy, love, hatred, and many others are what could come out of even the strongest relationships, and break up the most fortified friendships. These three will not only face difficulties I'm sure will sound familiar to you in teenagers' lives, but more destructive forces that are yet to come…

                                                                        ***

            A girl of fourteen with brilliant red hair and deep blue eyes was waiting impatiently at the site her friend, Sora, had asked her to meet her. She was a little nervous about what he wanted to ask her, but she couldn't exactly explain why. He had always once in a while asked her to meet him at places, usually just to talk or if he wanted to show her something. But this time, when he asked her to meet him at the shore of the beach next to the paopu tree island, he was a lot more nervous that she had probably ever seen him. 

            Finally she saw him slowly stalking over to her. He was looking down the whole time, and his face was a little pink. Kairi's curiosity only increased as she saw him in this nervous state. Once he was near her, she immediately spoke to him.

"Hey, Sora! What'd you need to talk to me about?" Kairi asked eagerly.

"Oh! Yes, um, I need to ask you…about something," Sora muttered nervously. 

"What is it?" she asked.

"Um, it's about…you…and…have you ever considered…you know…" Sora stuttered.

"Considered what?" Kairi questioned.

"I was just thinking that maybe you and me could be…you know…more that friends!" he blurted out.

            Kairi blinked. Could he mean what she thought he meant?

" Are you saying…you want me to be your girlfriend?" Kairi cautioned.

            Sora nodded, and waited in anticipation for an answer.

            "Well, I know that I'd like that," Kairi answered, and then looked down to hide her blushing face.

            Sora's eyes widened, and he looked at Kairi in amazement.

            "You seriously would?" he asked.

            Kairi nodded, still looking down as her blush deepened. She then felt a hand on her shoulder, then a hand slid down her arm to touch her hand. She shuddered at the gentle, yet affectionate touch, as she felt his fingers curve around the palm of her hand. She let her own fingers reach around the back of his hand and allowed her palm to touch his. 

            She was a little surprised at what Sora was currently doing. She had always suspected that he had a crush on her, and she knew for a fact that she had feelings for him, but she had never expected them to be doing anything like this. She often saw her adoptive parents showing affections for each other, but never had she seen herself doing the kind of thing they always did. But, even if it was new to her, she liked the new feelings that were rushing through her—it felt like there were butterflies rushing through her stomach all the way up to her throat. It sent a wave of chills to her entire body, and made her feel very vulnerable. 

            She could feel his hand traveling from her hand down to her waist. She could tell he was a little nervous of this new move, but still he held himself firm, wrapping the other arm around the other side of

her waist. She began to relax in his touch as her heart began to pound. She was still looking down, and was blushing more than ever. Sora lifted his right hand from her waist, and she was a little disappointed by the lack of both arms holding her. But what would come next would be even better for her.

            "Look at me," he whispered softly, as he titled her head up. She could feel herself melting at the mere sound of his voice, and found herself looking straight into his eyes.

            Those beautiful blue spheres…they had captivated her ever since she had first met him. Throughout her life with Sora on this island, his eyes had always fascinated her. There seemed to be a whole other world within them, an infinite depth that she could never look away from.

            Sora leaned in closer; his heart was pounding so hard it hurt against his chest. He wasn't fully aware at what he was doing; everything seemed to be happening so fast. But he didn't really care too much about that right now, and it seemed Kairi didn't either, as she let her eyelids fall in expectancy of a kiss.

This was his moment…to finally express his feelings to the one he had always loved…the girl who was constantly in his mind, who rested in his dreams at night, the one who always made him smile and feel like he was complete.

            But, as he was about to complete his task, a familiar voice was heard from behind him.

            "So, this is what you've been up to!"

            Sora jumped, and immediately looked away from Kairi, blushing with extreme embarrassment. Kairi immediately did the same, but was also a little disappointed that she didn't get the expected kiss from Sora.

            "Riku! Didn't…see you there!" Sora said awkwardly.

            The silver-haired teenager grinned at his best friend mischievously, his bright aqua eyes sparkling.

            "Don't let me interrupt me, Sora. Didn't think you'd go that far," he said smugly, while staring at Sora. He saw Riku's intent of these words, and blushed.

            "It wasn't anything like that!" he tried to tell Riku.

            "Wasn't what it looked like," said Riku in an offhand voice.

            Sora blushed more at Riku's constant teasing. Kairi watched them and giggled at Sora's embarrassment. He was absolutely adorable when he blushed. 

            "Go on ahead, Sora," Riku said, his tone suddenly harsh, "you don't have to tell your best friend what you were doing." And with that he walked off, leaving the two of them both very surprised.

Sora winced at the harsh tone, and noticed the emphasis on the words "best friend". Why had he gotten so angry all of the sudden? As Riku walked past them, he smacked himself on the forehead. Of course! How could he be so stupid! Riku obviously liked Kairi too, and now he was probably jealous. Sora felt a little guilty about what he was doing before, but he figured it was only fair. Kairi did, after all, love him and he loved her in the same way. Still, he couldn't help but feel bad about Riku's situation. Riku often tried to hide if he was hurt emotionally, as a way to not seem vulnerable. But, being his closest friend, Sora knew him better, and always saw through it.

            Kairi, however, looked at Riku a little suspiciously. She didn't immediately suspect that Riku was in love with her. In fact, she found that despite him being her friend, he always had a kind of resentment towards her. She figured that it could have been the fact that she had gotten between his and Sora's friendship. But the way he spoke to Sora…that last statement had almost made him sound…_jealous. _Before this, she would've never suspected him of having feelings for Sora, but now, it was questionable.

            *::_Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I mean, it's true that I have been waiting a long time to have an opportunity to be with Sora. Perhaps I'm afraid of loosing him so quickly,_:: she thought to herself. She decided to push the thought that Riku liked Sora aside, for now. Until then, she would make sure to enjoy every moment of finally having Sora.

            "I hope he's not mad at you," she said, with slight concern.

            "Me too," Sora said, looking down for a moment.

"It'll be okay, Sora! Trust me, he might seem mad, but you know he won't stay mad for long, especially at you," she said, with a little emphasis on the last three words. She didn't understand why she was acting this way. Was she getting jealous herself of Riku? Did she really think that there would be anything to come in between hers and Sora's relationship? She didn't want to make accusations, especially since she wasn't even sure herself…

                                                                                                        ~***~

Ending Notes: Well, that's chapter one. Not as long as I expected it to be, but I think it's pretty decent. I like Sora and Kairi, but I also am I huge fan of Sora and Riku, so there'll probably be some of them. Flames or reviews are welcome!

*:: represent thoughts of the characters.


	2. Wavering feelings

Okay, moving along to chapter two! I'm starting to enjoy writing about this. I'm still indecisive on who's going to get with whom, but who knows what direction it'll go in. 

Note: This chapter will be from Riku's POV, but it's still in third person. It'll start with the events of the first chapter, but since I plan for a longer chapter, the story is still going to move right along. When there's a ***, it means there is a POV change.

            Riku walked along the beach in the hot, midday sun. Sora had said to him something about having to talk to Kairi instead of meeting him here, as they usually did. 

That left him with a horrible feeling in his stomach, with his heart aching with jealousy.

            "He likes her. He likes Kairi and there's nothing you can do about it," he muttered to himself. It didn't make the pain go away, but it cost him from being hurt by thinking that there was a chance that Sora would ever like him, and then having that hope crushed. 

            He sighed to himself, and started to feel a little down. He decided to see if Sora was done with his "talk" with Kairi, and maybe would have some time alone with him. At least he still had the position as Sora's best friend. He often told himself that it would be enough to have that closeness, but sometimes it wasn't. There were times when the realization hit too hard, every time he saw Sora with that look in his eyes whenever they'd bring up the subject of Kairi…

            _Kairi. _He stopped in mid step. She was the cause of all of this. No, wait, she wasn't.  It's not her fault how Sora felt about her. He shouldn't take his frustration out on her. She was, after all, his friend, and a very good one. If only Sora didn't like her! He wouldn't care if Sora didn't have feelings for him. Everything would be easier to deal with if he didn't have to watch Sora love another. 

            He sighed, and decided to stop thinking about it. He'd talk to Sora, and would at least feel like he meant something to him, as long as he didn't talk about Kairi for once. As he continued walking, he saw two people standing awfully close together. He shaded the sun out of his eyes, and saw that it was none other than Sora and Kairi. 

            ::_Don't look. Whatever you do, just don't look,_:: he tried to think to himself. But he could not take his eyes off of them. He saw Sora lean over and tilt Kairi's head up. That same horrible feeling rose up again in his chest, as he watched Sora slowly lean over to try to kiss Kairi. 

            Suddenly, Riku had an idea. He would sneak up on them before they could do anything, and tease Sora about what he was doing with Kairi. Since he didn't really want to run into them in the first place, because he knew what Sora wanted to talk to Kairi about, he could take advantage of his current situation. At least he would have the satisfaction to delay anything serious going on between them, and it would only seem natural that he being Sora's best friend would tease him about that, especially if he was caught.

            "So this is what you've been up to!" he yelled out.

            Sora jumped, and looked towards Riku. His face was bright red, and his eyes were wide with shock. Riku dazed out for a bit, as he saw how adorable Sora looked when he was blushing, with those beautiful eyes peering at him, his pretty face…

            Riku shook his head a little, and try to stay focused. He realized that Sora was trying to speak to him. Plus he shouldn't be thinking about Sora like that, since it was obvious that Kairi was now his girlfriend.

            "Riku! Didn't see you there…" Sora muttered, as he put a hand behind his head. Kairi was looking away, and was also blushing. Riku grinned at Sora.

            "Don't let me interrupt you, in whatever you two were doing," he said, while looking directly at Sora. He seemed to get the message from Riku, and blushed even more. 

            "It wasn't anything like that!" Sora protested. 

            Sora blushed (if possible) even MORE, and Riku could hear Kairi's giggle in the back round.

            He twitched a little bit. That giggle irked him for some reason. 

            "Go on ahead, Sora. You don't have to tell your best friend what you were doing," he said more harshly than he intended. The cause was probably from him getting annoyed. He began to walk away, and saw Sora's hurt face. That made him feel worse.

            He also caught the suspecting look from Kairi. A horrified feeling fell into the pit of his stomach. Did she know? Did she suspect anything? If she did, that would cause more problems. She was not as stupid as she let on, so she might be able to find something like that out.

                                                ***

            That night, Sora couldn't sleep. He had spent the whole rest of the day with Kairi, and while he enjoyed most of it, (especially when they got a little more romantic than usual ^.~) he couldn't help but feel terrible for Riku. He didn't even get a chance to talk to him. He hoped that Riku would still be outside on the island, since he had often seen him there. Sometimes, when the nights were too hot, he had watched him from his house. It seemed a little weird, because the only people you're really suppose to watch like that are the ones you love…and he was pretty sure he didn't have feelings for Riku. After all, it would be a little strange to like his best friend in that way. Plus, he was sure that Riku didn't like him in return…especially if he was so jealous that they had gotten together.

            ::_ But what if he's jealous of Kairi? What if the reason he was so jealous today was because of you,_:: said an annoying voice in the back of his head. Sora thought that was ridiculous, and  immediately shook that thought off as he began walking out of his house. 

            But the thoughts of Riku possibly liking him kept returning. It did seem somewhat that he could have liked him. It was true that Riku paid more attention to him than anyone else he knew…even Kairi, and he even liked her! But it still made no SENSE that Riku would like him if he already had someone he liked.

            But maybe, he thought to himself as he made his way outside, maybe Riku was just trying to be competitive with him, to see if he could make Kairi like him more. Or maybe he was trying to make Kairi like him instead of Sora, and then he would go after RIKU instead! The last thought was so ridiculous that Sora laughed to himself. There'd be no way that Riku would use Kairi to get to him. 

            He walked further out to the beach, and indeed, he could see the silhouette of Riku sitting on the oasis with the paopu tree growing at an awkward angle out of it. As he approached, he noticed how the silver of the moonlight (NOTE: I have no clue if there was a moon, but let's just pretend) enhanced his already silver hair, and made it look like it was glowing. A few strands of hair fell loose as a breeze blew towards him. His bangs shifted to the side slightly, and his brilliant green eyes were staring far away. The rays of moonlight shone on his beautiful face, and almost made him seem angelic.

            "He's really pretty…" Sora spoke out loud, then let out a squeak and covered his mouth. That squeak got Riku's attention.

            "Sora?" he asked, and looked over in the direction of where he was standing.

            "How'd you know it was me?" Sora asked a little disgruntled about the fact that he had spoken out loud without thinking.

            "I heard a squeak, and I knew it had to be you," answered Riku smugly.

            "Thanks," Sora grumbled.

             Riku jumped down from the oasis, and walked closer to Sora. As he approached, Sora's heart began to beat faster. He felt that all too familiar feeling in his stomach, the feeling he had whenever he was around Kairi…

Sora shook his head rapidly, in an attempt to chase away the feeling. Luckily, it did, until Riku spoke to him.

            "So, what'd you come out here for? Were you not able to sleep?" he asked him.

            "I…was…well…no…I couldn't sleep," Sora mumbled. His heart began pounding so hard against his chest that he thought it would pop out. Something about Riku's voice sent shivers down his spine.

            "Are you all right?" Riku said, and leaned his head towards Sora's face. Sora blushed deeply, and was thankful that it was dark.

            "I-I'm okay," he said, trying to make his voice steady.

            Riku backed away, seeing that Sora was uncomfortable. He didn't seem pleased about this, but Sora was grateful that he did so. He didn't understand why he felt this way!

            "Um, Riku? I really need to ask you something," Sora said.

            "What is it?"

            "Do you like me?" Sora asked, and then gasped. He hadn't a clue why he blurted that out.

            "D-do I like…you?" Riku said nervously. He was usually never shaken up by anything, and Sora was surprised by his reaction.

            "Woah! I mean, do you, um, like Kairi?" he asked, and hoped that his mistake would be forgotten, very quickly.

            Riku seemed a little relieved too, much to Sora's surprise. Why was he acting so strangely?

            "No…no I don't," Riku said, and took a deep breath. 

Sora was in shock. He was almost one hundred percent sure that Riku liked Kairi. He thought that was the reason Riku became so jealous that afternoon. 

His breathing became heavy, and he started sweating. He couldn't…he just couldn't…that can't be the reason…

            Riku saw Sora's frightened expression, and put a hand on his shoulder. Sora jumped, but was still grateful for the friendly touch…friendly…

            "You okay, Sora?" Riku asked with concern. 

            "I…I'm not sure…" Sora breathed…and then collapsed in Riku's arms.

                                                          ~***~

            Ending notes: I'm leaning toward SoraxRiku, but I'll see where the story goes. In the meantime, Sora needs to come out of the closet already ^^.


	3. Whom Should I Love?

Notes: Already at chapter three! There will be more Sora and Kairi fluff than the last chapter, but I will still include Riku and Sora moments. I have to, they're my favorite out of all the possible couples ^^. 

            The sun was shining through the window of the fourteen year old boy's room when he had finally woken up. He slowly opened his eyes, and was surprised to see that he was back in his own room. His head was spinning, and it was excruciatingly hot outside, which only made him feel worse.

            Suddenly, he remembered last night's events, and sat up immediately, making him only more dizzy. He held his head with both hands, and tried to recall everything. How he couldn't sleep that night, how he felt guilty for barely talking to Riku yesterday, how he suspected that Riku might have feelings for him, and that being the cause of his jealousy after Sora had declared his feelings for Kairi…

            Kairi! He needed to go see her. He had to make sure that his feelings for her were still as they were. Thinking about her always seemed to be enough…but then there was still that guilt from last night.

He had felt something inside of him after seeing Riku…he remembered the way his stomach seemed to have butterflies fluttering through it, and his rapid heartbeat when Riku had leaned in closely to him, as he had looked up into his eyes…

            He felt the feeling returning, but he immediately shook it off. ::_Concentrate on Kairi, just don't worry about Riku right now,_:: he told himself. It seemed to have worked, since at that moment, he had longed to see her again.

            Suddenly, just in time it seemed, someone knocked on his door. Sora looked out the window, and was relieved to see that it was Kairi standing out there. He wouldn't know how to face Riku after what had happened. 

            He started out of his room to answer the front door. Once again his thoughts wandered to that night. What else had happened? All he remembered was getting extremely frightened because of what he was feeling…and then…

            "Did I…pass out?" he asked himself. Maybe…maybe Riku returned him to his house…and didn't bother to check up on him. As if last night meant nothing to him.

             Why did that thought hurt him so much?

            Trying not to think about it, he answered the door and Kairi was there, looking extremely worried.

            "Are you okay, Sora? It's really late into the day…you've been asleep for a long time," Kairi asked anxiously.

            "I'm fine, Kairi. I just had a rough night," Sora answered with a smile.

            "Good, I'm glad," she said with relief. As always, she felt herself melting when Sora gave her that smile.

            "Sorry, I said that we'd spend the day together," he said sheepishly, while putting a hand behind his head.

            "Don't worry about it. We still have the rest of the day!" was Kairi's enthusiastic reply.

            "Yeah, you're right!" Sora agreed, equally enthusiastically.

             Sora placed his hand into Kairi's and they started walking towards the beach of the island. There they sat, enjoying the vast view of the never-ending sky of blue in front of them. Sora let go of Kairi's hand to wrap his arm around her waist. Kairi leaned in closer, and gave a small, happy sigh. She loved being this close to him…feeling him breathe, his heart beating steadily against his chest…although right now it was at a rapid pace. She smiled slightly, and wondered if she was the cause of it.

            Sora held her closer to him, and felt strands of her hair falling on his face as she leaned in even closer. He stared at his girlfriend as she lay there, her eyes closed with a sweet smile on her beautiful face. ::_This is perfect_:: he thought to himself. ::_This is the way it should be…_::

            Kairi looked up at him to see what he was doing. Surprisingly, he was looking right at her, and she jumped a little when they met eye-to-eye. Suddenly, she felt his hand stroking away the strands of hair on her face. His hands moved to her cheeks, and she felt his fingers curving to stroke her face. She let her eyelids fall and enjoyed the gentle, affectionate touch of his strong hands. 

            At that moment, the sun was at its highest point, but the two of them didn't seem to care. They were lost in their own world, enjoying each other's company far too much to be bothered by the heat. 

Kairi sat in between Sora's legs and leaned her back against his chest. She sighed, and settled into him, as he placed his arms around her. This didn't help the extreme heat, but Kairi could hardly care less. They talked about the usual things they did before they were together, only now things were quite different. Kairi had to lean her head up in order to speak to him, while he spoke softly into her ear. Since that was a sensitive spot on her, she giggled every time she felt his breath on it. He would also occasionally plant a small kiss on her cheek after he spoke. This caused Kairi to get distracted and the conversations to go nowhere. Eventually, the couple gave up on talking and kept doing the things that gave them more pleasure than anything they had ever done.(It's not what you think, they're a little young for that.)

            Sora was extremely satisfied with how his time with Kairi went, not just for obvious reasons, but also it made him forget his fears about Riku. He would work that out when it came time to. For now, he would remain in absolute bliss with the most wonderful girl that had ever been in his life…

                                                                                                                        ***

            Late in the day, Sora was lying alone on the beach where he and Kairi had been. She had to go off to meet with Selphie, her best friend, although she looked extremely disappointed when she suddenly remembered. He understood how she felt, as he hadn't wanted her to leave either. But it gave him time to at least think about her, which he did very often during the day.

            But, despite being momentarily distracted when he was with Kairi about last night with Riku, he began to wonder about that again. Had Riku been the one to return him to his room? He needed to know. He sat up, dusted himself off, and went out to find Riku. He wasn't very far off, although he noticed that he was where he and Kairi couldn't be seen from his point of view. 

            "Hey, Riku? Um…I need to ask you something," he said with his voice shaking. Why was he nervous around Riku now?

            "About time you came over here. Did Kairi have to leave, or did you finally think spending time with your friend was important?" Riku said harshly. 

            "Riku, it's not like that! I said to Kairi that we'd spend most of the day together, and I slept in late today…" Sora protested.

            "Figures…I guess she's top priority now," he said in the same harsh tone.

            "Riku, what is up with you lately? You're acting like you're jealous or something!" Sora snapped. 

            "Maybe, maybe not. Why should it matter to you?" he replied coolly.

            "You're my best friend! Of course it matters to me," Sora told him.

            "It didn't seem to when you were with Kairi," Riku said bitterly.

            This silenced Sora for a bit. He felt awful that Riku was mad about this. But he wanted to know why it was bothering him so much. Did he just want to spend more time with him because he was his best friend? Or maybe it was something more…like he liked him more than a friend and just wanted to spend time with him, even if they couldn't be more than friends…

            "Um, Riku?"

            "What is it?" Riku said coldly.

            Sora winced and was about to not say anything, but decided to ask him anyway.

            "About last night…when I passed out…did you bring me back into my room?"

            Riku paused for a moment.

            "Yes, I did. I stayed there all night making sure you didn't get too warm. I fell asleep, but I woke up before you. When I saw that you were doing a lot better than last night, I left for a little while, but I still came in sometimes to make sure you were okay," he replied, while looking away from Sora.

            Sora stood there, and was stunned. He did all of that…for him? He had a weird feeling of pleasure from hearing that…but he shook it off immediately.

            "Um, thanks," Sora said, and blushed a bright red.

            Riku stared up in disbelief. First he managed to make Sora blush last night, and now this? It gave him a small feeling of hope, but he knew it would be foolish to hold onto that for very long.

            "I-I'm sorry, Riku…for yelling," Sora said timidly.

            "Don't worry about it, you don't have to apologize," he said with a wave of his hand.

            "Seriously, I should of considered that you'd at least want to spend some time with me," Sora said.

            "No, it's okay, I understand that you have to be with your girlfriend," Riku said.

            Sora felt a lurch of fear in his stomach after hearing what Riku said. The last two words were said forcefully and bitterly  And what was that all about last night? The way that he felt…how his heart began to pound when Riku approached him, the moonlight enhancing the silver in his hair, how his gorgeous green eyes were set on him, his face pearly white from the moon, the way he walked that reflected his personality, calmly and confidently, with that strongly built body of his…

            He smacked himself on the head. WHAT in the world was he THINKING? Maybe he was still sick or something from yesterday. 

            Riku watched him curiously. Sora's expressions often reflected what he was thinking about. At first he looked deeply concerned, but then he had a sort of dreamy expression. That quickly changed to disbelief after he had smacked himself in the head, (he really wondered what he was thinking after he did that). He wondered how long this would go on before Sora realized that he was spacing out. 

            Sora noticed how much Riku was staring at him. He never noticed it before, but there was something in Riku's eyes whenever he looked at him. It was a kind of look that no one else received but himself

            ::_Maybe it's my own denial that goes against it, or my fear of that possible reality. Perhaps I just don't want it to be true…or do I?_:: he asked himself. No, there was no way. Riku just couldn't like him…and that's what he would believe. Until Riku just came out and said it, that's what he was going to believe.

            "Done thinking yet?" Riku asked him.

            Sora jumped. He hated it whenever someone would try to say something to him when he was in deep thought.

            "Yeah, I'm DONE, Riku," he laughed.

            "Come on, over-thinker. Let's get home," Riku teased.

            He hated being called that, especially by Riku.

            They headed home together. Sora looked around for Kairi for a bit, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. ::_Probably still with Selphie,_:: he told himself. He'd find her after he arrived at his home. In the meantime, he walked a little closer than usual home with just Riku.

                                                                                                            ~***~

Ending Notes: This chapter represents Sora's swaying feelings. Unfortunately, things are only going to get more confusing for poor Sora. Well, there'll be more Sora and Riku moments in the next chapter! I'm trying to have the two couples balanced…so I'll probably stick in a Sora and Kairi thing too. I enjoy writing about them too ^^ 


	4. To Seek the Truth

Notes: I'm having trouble thinking of different things to happen. I looked back on the first few chapters, and it seemed a lot like the other millions of romantic Kingdom Hearts fanfictions I have read before ^^;;. But, I'll do my best to try to make it different. Kairi's turn to angst, and more Sora/Riku potential in this chapter! Also, it only changes POV once in this chapter, since I can tell it easier from Sora's.

A special note: I understand your need to express how you feel about homosexuality. I have no problem with you saying that you dislike this. But first of all, you do not have to read something that has involvement with homosexuality if you do not think it's "right". Also, I believe gender does not impose on love in the first place, which is why I try to balance the involvement with both types of couples. I know plenty of gay boys who do not CARE how popular they are, and they strongly believe in their sexual orientation. I, too, do not care how popular I am with my peers, as long as I stand up for what I believe is right. Trust me, some people I know would punch someone right back if they saw them punch out a homosexual guy. You can go ahead and hunt me down, if you are really desperate, try and find out where I live. In the meantime, it is your choice whether you want to read this fanfiction or not.

                                                                                                ***

            After spending the rest of the day with Selphie, Kairi started to head home herself. She wandered out to the beach when she saw a curious sight. Sora and Riku were walking together and talking with each other. She noticed that Sora was standing EXTRA close to Riku…a little closer than she would of liked for him to be.

            "No, stop it. You're being irrational again. You can't assume anything without solid evidence," she tried to reason with herself. Still there was still something in her mind that had doubts. She had nothing to go on except her own suspicions…and yet….

            She couldn't stand the thought of loosing Sora. Not now…she can't be having doubts now! It was too soon for this wonderful dream to end.

            ::_Maybe it is just a dream. My own fantasy that I'm only allowed to have for a moment…then gone from reality…_:: she thought to herself, feeling terrible that she and Sora might not last very long, and then feeling guilty that she didn't have total faith in Sora.

            ::_I have to trust him. It's important that I do,_:: she thought as she watched the two of them walk away…off in their own world. She always felt even from the very beginning that she was interfering with their deep friendship. They had something that she felt Sora and she could never have. A deep bond that went beyond a silly teenage love, a friendship that could last for eternity, no matter what would happen. Sure, she and Sora had been very good friends before they knew they liked each other. But it was nothing like the friendship between he and Riku. 

            How could she be loosing faith so soon? Perhaps it was something that all couples her age went through…a small period where you're afraid that you'll loose the person you love after you have finally declared your feelings and were together. Yes, that had to be it, especially since Sora was her first love. That had to be a common thing to think about when you're just starting a relationship. She went over this several times in her head to try and reassure herself. It didn't prevent suspicions from arousing up, but it helped her to keep her faith in their relationship. Her trust in Sora couldn't start wavering; they had barely been together for two days! 

            She smiled and tried to stay cheerful. She would make sure that she would think nothing like that ever again. And she would make sure that Sora would know that she definitely loved him, in case he would ever suspect that she had doubts.

                                                                                                            ***

            The next morning, Sora lay in bed for a while, since he had plenty to think about. He recalled everything that had happened yesterday…first the afternoon with Kairi. He had definitely enjoyed being with her. It almost didn't seem real. He grinned at the memory of the look of pleasure on her face as he whispered into her ear and constantly stroked her face. It had been like a dream, and everything had fit together so perfectly.

            Yet, there was still Riku, who had gotten angry with him, and was obviously very jealous. A feeling of fear rose up to Sora's chest, and he began to feel dizzy. It was all too confusing, and yet, every last bit of it made sense. He finally admitted to himself that Riku had to like him, at least a little more than a friend. It was still questionable, but in the meantime that's what he would assume.

            There was, however, still something that didn't make sense to him. They way he felt sometimes when he was with Riku almost seemed like he was…in love with him. He would get nervous sometimes, and he always recalled the pounding of his heart, and then a jolt of nerves spread from his lower stomach up to his chest. That same fluttery feeling he always felt around Kairi…sometimes he'd have that with Riku! It wasn't possible…how could he love two people? Especially two people that both loved him back? If it was true that he had feelings for Riku, and if it was the same the other way around…then he would have to choose. But before he could think about anything like that, he had to confirm how Riku felt for him, and how he could of possibly felt for Riku.

            It wasn't going to be easy…he knew that this would weigh on his mind all day, especially when he was with Kairi. Oh God, Kairi! What would she think of him if she knew he had potential feelings for Riku? Would she break up immediately? What if she already suspected something?? How did things become so complicated?

            He wished he could go back just a couple of days…when he first asked Kairi to be his girlfriend. He would of made sure he had never stepped out of his room that night when he had passed out after getting nervous about Riku. Maybe if that hadn't happened, he wouldn't be in this situation.

            In the meantime, he would try not to think about it, or work out something later in his mind. He went outside, and saw Kairi there waiting for him as usual.

            "God, Sora, you love to sleep in, don't you," Kairi teased.

            "I need my sleep!" Sora protested. She laughed and smiled up at her boyfriend.

            "I'm only teasing, silly," she informed him.

            Even with the thought of having to find out how Riku felt about him weighing on his mind, he still managed to enjoy his time with Kairi as much as usual.

                                                                                                            ***

            That evening, Sora knew he had to find Riku. He didn't want to face this, he did not want to find out how Riku felt about him. But he knew he had to…he had to face it sometime, for it was inevitable that one way or another he would know the truth. At least, he figured, he would be in control of this situation.

            He saw Riku in his usual spot, and took a deep breath. Finally, after about five minutes of hesitation, he managed to approach Riku. It felt like his entire body was shaking, even inside of him seemed to be shivering. It felt like his heart was jumping so much it had reached all the way up to his throat. 

            "Um, Ri-ku?" Sora said, his voice shaking.

            Riku looked up, and saw Sora's fearful face. He noticed that his friend was shaking all over; he could even see his hands shivering. It took every ounce of control he was capable of having to try not to make an attempt to comfort his beautiful friend…calm him down, hold him close and stroke his hair, telling him over and over that whatever it is was going to be okay…

            Sora noticed the deep look Riku was giving him, and he was even more uncomfortable, if possible, than he was before. He knew that look; it was one that he received from Kairi daily whenever they were together. 

            "What is it?" Riku asked, while still giving Sora that dreamy look.

            Sora knew the question had to come out. He had to be sure, he didn't want to be uncertain anymore. He was already not sure of too many things, at least one of these had to be resolved.

            "Dyulikme?" he said, muffling all the words together.

            "What??" Riku said.

            "Do…you…like me?" Sora asked again a little more understandably.

            Riku was paralyzed. He had asked him this once before, but now it looked like he really wanted to know. It wasn't the way he would of ever imagined having to finally admit his feelings. Therefore, he tried out a way around it.

            "Well, you are my best friend. So I do like you," he answered. It wasn't exactly a lie.

            "I mean do you like me more as a friend!" Sora practically shouted, not because he was angry, but because it was becoming too much for him to handle not knowing the truth.

"Sora, calm down," Riku told him.

            "Please, Riku, I need to know. I haven't been sure of anything lately and I need to know the truth right now because…because I thought I had a handle on all of my feelings, but now everything's so confusing and I don't know where my feelings are going,and if I can be sure of anything right now, it has to be this so please, tell me!!" Sora exclaimed. He was shaking worse than ever, and was on the verge of tears. Everything he'd been feeling for the past couple of days (almost everything) had finally come out, and it was almost too much.

            He felt the tears begin to swell up in his eyes, and he silently cursed at them. He immediately wiped his eyes, but it only made it worse. When he had to blink, he felt a single drop fall onto his eyelashes as it blurred his vision. The water finally fell, despite the trouble he went through to prevent it from being seen. He tried to prevent the rest of the water building up the best way he could, but at that point they slowly started streaming down his face.

            Riku noticed the single teardrop fall to the ground, and watched it disappear into the sand. It was like watching snowflakes melt in your hand; something so beautiful that you could hold onto for just a second, and in a matter of seconds, gone, forever. 

He noticed more water building up in Sora's eyes. Soon enough, there were pearly tears streaking down his face. He reached out a hand, but almost seemed hesitant, in fear that his touch would be immediately rejected. But nothing could prevent him from reaching out to his friend, especially when he needed comfort the most, and despite his fears, placed a hand on Sora's cheek. He wiped away another forming tear on Sora's eyes, and after doing so, began stroking his face. Sora shuddered under the touch of his gentle hands and enjoyed the sensation of Riku's fingers traveling down his cheek all the way to his lower chin. He felt his face being tilted up, and could almost feel what was going to happen next. He felt Riku's free hand being placed around his waist as he was pulled closer to his body. He could feel Riku's steady heartbeat, (he seemed to be pretty calm about all of this, he thought) against his own racing one. Riku began to get closer and closer to Sora's face until their lips were inches away from touching. 

            "Does this answer your question?" Riku whispered, with his mouth just barely touching Sora's. He let him go and began walking away.

            Sora could only stand there in absolute shock. 

            "That…that was dirty!" Sora exclaimed.

            "But it still worked," Riku laughed.

            Sora glared, and almost pouted at Riku. When he saw Sora doing this, he began laughing again.

            "You're too cute," he told him.

            Sora gaped at Riku. What in the world was going on in his mind?!

            "Am not!" was the only reply Sora could give.

            Riku snickered, and motioned for Sora to follow him. Sora was actually surprised at the way he was feeling. He was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, until Riku came and comforted him. Somehow, even though it had stunned him for a while, he had felt better when Riku came to him like that. Also, he wondered why Riku was acting so calm and almost cheerful. Maybe he himself felt relieved to finally show how he felt. 

            They walked off and kept talking as if none of that had ever happened. Riku had whole-heartedly admitted to loving Sora, and he didn't even feel uncomfortable around Riku for it. It was not how Sora had expected it to be. He had almost expected to be extremely uncomfortable around Riku now, as it would be the same with Riku. There was just something special between them, not necessarily feelings of romance, just a special bond of a deep friendship that could be broken by nothing.

            ::_I think I love you too, Riku._::

                                                                                    ~***~

            Ending Notes: Wow, I never thought I would get reviews. Thanks! It actually helped me to finish this chapter. I think I'm probably just going to stick to romance for now. It has good emotional impact. Sora ALMOST admitted to liking Riku ^^! This will, however, cause great problems with Kairi -_-; Poor Sora…

I hope this isn't going too fast. I'm really picky about plot and relationship development. I know that they need to get somewhere, so I have to move it along. But I guess it's okay since neither couples   are making out in the second chapter. I also noticed there are a great deal of spaces between my really short paragraphs. I try to keep them short, actually, because I can't stand reading long paragraphs even in a book. I just REALLY need reading glasses. Sorry I keep changing the chapters it's a habit of mine to go back and revise my stories. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and never think anything I do will be good enough until I think it is. I'll stop babbling now.


	5. One Nightmare Per Couple

Notes: I'd like to thank all of those who have reviewed. Truthfully, I didn't think I would ever receive them. Thanks for comments and criticisms! Also, I am going to have plot, I just have not thought of what should happen yet. However, I have it in store for this chapter. It's a little slow, but it is something ^^; More Sora/Riku bits…I'm sorry Sora/Kairi fans…I keep drifting away from those two -_-;  Also, I want to tell anyone who does not like homosexuality, if you do not like it, please, do not read it! It only gets more "gay" from here on out, and I'm not going to change that. Thank you for reading it and sharing your opinion, but I ask you not to tell me to not write anymore gay fanfictions. Actually, tell me this next time you review: WHY should I stop making it gay? Honestly, give me your opinions. That is an honest question. I want to know your reasons. Thank you, -_Destati_

                                                                                                                        ***

            _The night air was clear and crisp. A gentle breeze swept across the beach, slightly lifting the particles of sand to a hovering point over the ground. The grass on the familiar oasis barely shifted. A young boy stood at this spot, enjoying the light wind as it provided a comfortable temperature for a particularly sweltering summer night. The inky black sky was perfectly clear, with stars illuminating the small island with their soft glow. He enjoyed the comfort of this place, since it was so familiar to him. _

_            At that moment, another boy appeared in front of him. He could barely make out his features, but somehow he knew exactly whom it was. He saw a gloved finger beckoning for him to come forward. He knew he could trust him, so he did as the boy in front of him motioned. But as he began to step forward, the ground beneath him began to give way. He ran towards the boy, but just before he reached him, the entire land caved in, and he fell with it. He plunged into the water, but for some reason he couldn't stay above the surface. The water seemed to be pulling him down, forcing his body down to the bottom surface. He struggled against it, but only in vain. The pressure against his body only kept increasing. Finally, as he saw his life slipping away before him…_

Sora eyes snapped open, as the dream in his mind slowly faded from sight. He turned over on his side, and checked how light it was outside. Indeed, it was still as dark as it had been in his dream. God, that dream! Every single detail had been so precise, every last sight and feeling had been so real. It was as if most of it had actually happened. He could still feel the water in his lungs burning and making it difficult to breathe. He recalled the pressure being forced down upon him by the water where he had nearly drowned. He even remembered the events before all of that, how the breeze swept through, how the night air felt…everything. 

            He tried to hold on to the details of the dream, but it was like trying to keep water in your hands; the details kept washing away from his mind. Mainly he could remember someone beckoning for him to come forward. For some reason, he knew exactly who it was while he was dreaming, but now, he hadn't a clue who that person was. He didn't even remember what they looked like. All that he could recall was the finger, telling him to come forward, as if it was telling him to come meet his death.

            Sora shuddered at the last thought, and decided it would not be best for him to try and go back to sleep. For one thing, he was wide-awake, despite how early in the day it was. Secondly, he feared going back to sleep in case he would have a dream such as that again. He climbed out of his bed, set his feet down, stood up, and stretched. Suddenly, he realized something that he wondered why he didn't notice before. 

            As his arm brushed the side of his face, he noticed how cold it felt against his skin. Suddenly, he saw that his arms were soaking wet; in fact, the rest of his body was drenched! He began to shiver, not from the cold, for it was nowhere near cold outside, but in trepidation, for he knew what this could of meant. Immediately, he ran at his window and looked out, fearing what he might of seen. He looked upon the miniature island where the familiar paopu tree resided. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw it was still standing. However, what he saw next shook him up more than his being wet did.

            The oasis quivered, and then began to crack. Bits of sand and dust flew up in the air as the land itself began to cave in. The paopu tree snapped and crashed down with a defeating bang against the breaking land. However, the land collapsing beneath it overcame the noise of the tree. Remains plunged into the waters below, making the water rise up like a fountain, only it was splashing out in all different directions, it's usual clear surface turning into a foamy white. In a second, the tide was rising, and it buried the land beneath it. Cresting waves pounded the broken land relentlessly, making many of its remains wash up on shore. As a second run of waves came tumbling in, Sora noticed a disturbing sight. An all too familiar hand was reaching up in an attempt to stay above the water, but was plunged into the depths of the ocean as a wave washed over it. 

            Suddenly, the island returned to its original state just as quickly as it had been destroyed. Sora gaped in absolute terror as he saw the illusion fade. He knew what he had just saw, and began to shake uncontrollably. This wasn't just an ordinary dream…there was something much more involved in this. He had no idea what it could possibly be, but somehow he knew that something like that was going to happen. It, however, did not help him at all to calm down. Maybe if he tried walking outside for a little while…even though what had happened out there was the source of his uneasiness, it usually helped to clear his head.

            He looked out his window again apprehensively. Nothing happened this time, but he would still be cautious. Maybe it would also help him dry out a little bit, for he had nothing to dry himself off with since his body was still wet. Putting on dry clothes would only make them just as wet, thus making him just as uncomfortable. 

            He headed out his house, and began to wander around the island randomly. Sometimes he would let his mind lead the way, and it would usually bring him to familiar spots, such as the island that Riku and he often competed with each other in using wooden swords to fight each other. The island would often stand as an arena, therefore making it so that if you fell into the water, you'd immediately loose. He had done this quite often, for he was not quite as coordinated as he wished to be. But this time he forced himself to stay as far away from that spot as possible.

            Most of the time, especially when he needed to get his mind off of something, he would go to the secret spot at the base of the tree, and would examine the many drawings that he, Kairi, and Riku had done when they were younger. He always looked at the one in particular that he and Kairi did together. When they weren't together, he'd rest his hand longingly on the portrait of Kairi, and would always have that empty feeling, where you felt that someone you cared for deeply could never be with you. He remembered the frequent times he would do that, and almost wished to go back to them. Life was at least a little simpler then. He enjoyed having simplicity, but he didn't always mind the new complications in his life. It was almost exciting, and yet it was almost like torture. The complex emotions that it brought made life a lot more difficult. 

            But this time, his mind led him into a totally different direction. Usually, he always walked somewhere subconsciously to a place that he needed to be, and this time, it wasn't either of the usual places he'd been to before.

            ::_Strange…I'm at Riku's house_::          

                                                                                                            ***

            He stood before it, just staring at it for a while. He wondered if Riku would even be awake. It was getting so late into the night, and usually Riku went off wandering too when he couldn't sleep. But he looked behind him and saw the oasis from far away, and figured that it wouldn't hurt to at least have someone to talk to. Plus he was still wet, and despite the heat, he kept getting cold whenever any gusts of wind would blow. Cautiously, he opened the door and slipped into the house.

            It was quiet and almost eerie as he saw the shadows of the household items slightly lit by the moonlight. Ignoring the prickling of the hair on the back of his neck standing up, he made his way up to Riku's room. He was looking around cautiously and wasn't watching exactly where he was going. Suddenly, he felt himself run into something, and almost screamed. When he looked up, he saw it was only Riku standing there.

            "Who's there?!" he yelled.

            "Riku, it's only me!" Sora said, extremely startled.

            "Sora? What are you doing here? Why are you…?" Riku questioned.

            "It's a long story. I need to talk to you about something," Sora told him.

            "So do I."

            They both headed into Riku's room. Sora explained his dream in full detail. When he was explaining about the part where the person beckoned him to come forward, Riku looked extremely alarmed.

            "And that's when…what's wrong?" Sora asked.

            "I'll explain later. Keep going," Riku assured him.

            Sora explained the rest of the incident, and then went on to tell him about what had happened after his dream. Riku just kept staring at Sora in absolute amazement. 

            "I had that exact same dream…only I saw you in there," Riku said softly. Sora shuddered at the mere sound of his voice. The same feeling that aroused whenever he was around Riku had come back again. ::_Concentrate!_:: he yelled to himself.

            "You…you did? What do you mean you saw me there?" Sora inquired, trying to stay in focus of the situation.

            "I remember all of that, about how you said everything was so vivid and it almost felt real. Only, I remember telling you to come forward, and motioning you with my finger like that," Riku explained. He couldn't help but notice, as serious as the situation was, how the moonlight shone so perfectly on Sora's face, making him look more beautiful (if possible) than before. His wet clothes clung tightly to his body, showing off all of his body to the last curve at his slim waist. His hair slightly flopped over from the rain, but miraculously managed to stay sticking up. Sora tilted his head slightly to the side, and Riku watched his bangs shift in the same direction. For some reason, he loved the way his hair fell into his face like that, how his bangs shifted over those beautiful eyes of his…          

"Riku, did you see the thing that I told you about too?" Sora asked him. Riku jumped a little bit as that comment pulled him back into reality.

            "I didn't…and I don't know why if you and I had the same dream," Riku pondered.

            "It was really scary. I saw myself falling into the water and nearly drowning, just like what happened in my dream," Sora said fearfully. The memories came back, causing Sora to shiver. Riku noticed this, and carefully put an arm around his friend. He led Sora to the bed to help him calm down a little. Sora leaned a little on Riku's shoulder. His stomach gave a jolt that he was sure was not from any fear. He enjoyed being so close to Riku, but it still made him feel nervous, and a little guilty. 

He then remembered, as if it had been a memory from long ago, that Riku had admitted to him that he liked him. Would it be okay if he showed Riku how he now felt? He was pretty sure that he at least had feelings for Riku.

 Any type of denial that still remained had been quickly crushed at this very moment. All he wanted right now was to be with him…even if he would never get the chance again, he wanted to spend this one night with Riku. And he wanted to make it worth it. He didn't want to think about what could happen as a result of the dream. He wanted to forget all of that for just one moment.

He snuggled up to Riku, and placed his hands around his slim waste. His head was at Riku's chest and this time, he noticed, his heart was beating a lot faster. Satisfied with this reaction, Sora wrapped his free arm around his stomach and reached his leg over so that it was on Riku's lap. He wasn't sure quite what he was doing, but all he wanted was to be as close to Riku as possible. That was the only thing running through his mind right now.

Of course, Riku was surprised, and yet very pleased at what Sora was doing. He tried to tell himself that this didn't mean anything. Just because Sora was getting a little closer to him than usual didn't mean that he loved him. He probably just needed a little more comfort. 

Well, if he needed him, even just for comfort, he might as well do it for him. He reached his free hand over to Sora's face, and began to stroke his cheek. Sora loved having Riku touch his face like this; it always relaxed him and made him feel happy and giddy inside. He felt Riku's hand fiddle around with the bangs of his hair and then he began to run his fingers through the rest of his wild hair. He let his hand run freely through Sora's hair, feeling it's soft texture run across his fingers. He felt the loose strands weaving through his hand, sliding in between the sides of his fingers and out through the upper edge of his palm. His hand roamed down from Sora's hair and back to his face again.

 Sora could only sit there; he was completely dazed from everything that was happening to him. He would of never imagined sharing this kind of intimacy with his best friend. He never thought he would ever love him.

::_Love him? Is it safe to say that I do?_:: he wondered. But before he could pursue his thinking, he felt a gentle hand sliding down from his face to his waist. Sora sighed dreamily as he felt the hand caress his upper body all the way down to his waist. He was pulled, if possible, even closer to Riku's chest. Sora hugged Riku tighter and scooted himself closer to the rest of his body. His head was foggy with the sensations that he was feeling, making him think of nothing else but Riku. He hardly came across a thought of Kairi right now because of how Riku was making him feel. He wanted to stay with Riku forever, and never have to leave from his current position. Nothing was holding him back now, not even his feelings for Kairi. He didn't care about the later consequences this could bring, as long as he could have this moment with Riku.

Sora felt his head being tilted up. He looked up, and saw Riku looking down at him. There was a desire in his eyes, a want that almost scared Sora. He had never felt like anyone would need his touch. Suddenly, he saw Riku's face coming in closer contact with his own. He had done something like this the other day, but Sora had a feeling that this time it was his intention to finally kiss him. He wasn't sure if he wanted him to, or if he wanted everything to stop right now. He loved being near Riku, and he enjoyed his gentle touches. Would it make it okay for Riku to kiss him?

Suddenly, he felt Riku's lips brush against his cheek. Riku moved his mouth from Sora's cheek to closer to his mouth, and let a kiss fall there. Sora suddenly felt disappointed. It was so close, and yet so far. He suddenly felt himself wanting that kiss from Riku. 

"Do it," he whispered.

Riku was a little surprised at first, but willingly followed what Sora commanded him to do. He moved his lips right over Sora's and let them fall into a kiss. He felt the warmth of the younger boy's mouth and deepened his kiss, creating more passion into this simple act. Sora moaned lustfully, his longing for intimacy only increasing. Riku saw this as an opportunity, and let his tongue slide into Sora's mouth. Sora jumped from this act, and was extremely surprised. Riku was also unsure of this move, since he immediately pulled his mouth away. 

"Sorry…I went too far," he muttered.

"No, it was my fault. I tempted you," Sora explained.

"I shouldn't have even done anything. You have a girlfriend," Riku stated.

"That doesn't mean I don't love you!" Sora exclaimed, and then covered his mouth with his hand. He had not meant to blurt that out.

"You…what?" Riku asked. There was no way that this could be happening.

"I…I said I love…you," Sora muttered.

Riku was in shock. He never in his life would expect Sora to ever tell him anything like that. 

"You do?" Riku asked.

"I do…I really do," Sora whispered.

It took all of Riku's self control to keep from screaming with joy and throwing his arms up in the air. He felt like the happiest person in the world right now, and he wouldn't trade this moment for anything else. Except, there was still Kairi.

"Do you still love Kairi?" he asked.

"I do, but that doesn't mean I don't love you too," Sora answered.

As much as he wanted Sora to say that Riku was the only one he loved, as long as he had a part of his heart, he would be satisfied. This was already more than he could hope for. Although, he still wondered how Sora was going to handle this situation.

"I'm sorry, Riku, but I have to go. Thanks…for being there for me," Sora said, and blushed a little. Riku grinned, and knew what Sora meant by being there for him. But then he remembered the reason that Sora had came to him in the first place. 

"Sora, if anything like that happens again, tell me," Riku said sternly. 

"I will," Sora promised, gave Riku a kiss on the cheek, and walked out of his room. Riku sat there with a hand on the spot where Sora had kissed him. A small blush crept up on his face. He could hardly believe what was happening. It was as if that dream they both had brought them together. It was a strange way of looking at it, since the dream obviously sent out an ominous message. He had to look out for himself, and especially Sora.

                                                                                                            ***

The next morning, Sora woke up with a much more pleasant dream than before. He felt awful though; he had stayed up entirely too late that night. His head was throbbing, and it only made it worse to think about last night. Especially what had happened with Riku.

That reminded him that he needed to tell Kairi about how he felt about Riku. He had decided that last night…

                                                                                      *~~

"Sora…if you still love Kairi, I think you should let her know how you feel about me," Riku had told him. 

Sora had known this ever since he admitted (finally) to Riku how he felt. He was dreading it, though, and didn't even want to go through with it.

"How can I tell her?" Sora said.

"Just let her know…she'll understand. She's really a sweet girl," Riku said.

"Yeah, I know she is. She doesn't deserve me cheating on her…" Sora said sadly.

"But you have to let her know. Trust me, it'll only make things worse if you don't," Riku advised. 

"Well…I guess you're right," Sora said reluctantly.

                                                                                    ~~

He sighed heavily, and headed off to her house. Along the way he was wondering if Kairi would want to end the short-lived relationship if he told her that he loved Riku along with her. He began to have doubts on whether he should even tell Kairi about this or not. But then he would have to live with the guilt, and the truth would come out one way or another, and it would probably be even worse than what results doing this might bring. Reluctantly, he knocked on Kairi's door.

Surprisingly, there was no answer. She would usually be up at this hour. In fact, Sora halfway expected her to be at his door already. 

He had a bad feeling about this. Afraid of what might of happened to her, he burst into her home and ran upstairs to her room. He opened the door, and was shocked at what he saw…or rather didn't see.

Kairi was gone.

                                                                                                ~***~

Ending notes: UGH, that was a long, terrible chapter. Sorry, I'm very bad at plot and romantic scenes. My head was congested when I wrote this one ^^;; I hope you won't stop reading because of this crappy chapter. It will get better. I promise I will improve. In the meantime, I think my eyes are about to fall out, so I better take a rest.

*flashback

            


	6. Search for Kairi:A Dream Becomes Reality

Notes: I really appreciate the reviews that I received from my last chapter. I'm thankful to know that my writing isn't as bad as I think it is ^^; Thank you all so much! When I looked at all the reviews I got in a day, I was so shocked! And I halfway hoped they weren't bad ones either =P. Anyways, more plot bits, as it slowly advances into something good(hopefully) in the meantime, bear with me, it might be a little slow. More Sora/Riku bits as always, and a little bit of action. 

                                                                                                ***

            Sora stood there in absolute shock. He had expected her to be there, possibly waiting for him or on the way out to go wake him up. It was really late into the day, and he hadn't seen her on the way out. 

            ::_What if she saw Riku and me last night? What if she ran away because she was so upset…or what if she did something even worse?_:: he thought to himself. He didn't want to think about what the "even worse" thing could be. She wouldn't go to such drastic measures because of that…would she?

            Hoping, praying that he wouldn't find anything suicide relevant, he search around her room for any clues. He didn't find any suicide notes(thankfully)or anything of the sort, but he did find something very particular. Inscribed on the wall was a strange message that seemed to be written in a foreign language:

~**_NOS HABEMUS LUCET IGITUR ADVESPERASCIT~_**

            Sora reached around for something to write with and on. He quickly grabbed a nearby pen and wrote on his hand the cryptic message. He had to figure out what this meant…it had to be a hint to Kairi's location. All that he could guess was that she was taken away by somebody, and they left this incomprehensible message. Suddenly, the door burst open behind him. 

            "Kairi?" he asked hopefully. But standing there instead was Riku.

            "Oh, I'm sorry, Riku. I just…came here to tell Kairi something important and I saw that she was gone, so I thought that…" Sora began to say, but Riku shushed him by putting his fingertip on Sora's mouth.

            "It's all right, Sora. I already know," he said.

            "You know what?" Sora questioned.

            "That Kairi's missing," Riku answered.

            "How'd you find out before me?" he inquired.

            "Let's see…Kairi usually comes out a lot earlier to come and get you…and since I was up even earlier, I noticed that she hadn't come out. So I went to her room and saw that she was missing. I was going to get you, but I couldn't even get you to budge," Riku explained. Sora made a face of disbelief.

            "You were up early? After last night…" Sora said, while blushing, but then shook it off immediately. Riku grinned at his best friend(they weren't really officially boyfriends yet).

            "Um, anyways, that's not important right now. We have to find her!" Sora said.

            "Why are you so worried?" Riku asked with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

            "Riku, I told you I still have feelings for her. Plus she still is my friend," Sora explained. He saw that Riku looked slightly hurt, but then he erased it with a smile.

            "It's okay. We'll be able to find her," Riku assured him. Sora gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and grinned at Riku's surprised face.

            "That doesn't mean I don't love you," Sora said with a grin, repeating the same words from the previous night. He tapped Riku slightly on the nose and kissed him again on the cheek. 

            Riku was stunned for a moment. Here was innocent little Sora, actually flirting with him! But even so, there was still that hint of innocence within his affectionate actions. That was one thing Riku absolutely adored about Sora, was his ability to remain the way he was no matter what he was doing. He smiled down at him and stroked his face gently with his hand. He had acknowledged from Sora's reactions that this was something that Sora seemed to enjoy. As always, he let out a small sigh of ecstasy as he felt the nerves on his face tingle under Riku's touch. But he then grabbed Riku's hand, and looked up at him seriously.

            "Riku…we have to find Kairi, or at least find out what happened to her," he said.

            "I know. I've been trying to find out what that dream was trying to tell us, but just Kairi disappearing…it doesn't go along with…or maybe it does! The fact that it was only the two of us that had the dream could have been a clue to her disappearance," Riku proclaimed. 

            "That's true, but how do you explain the island caving in?" Sora inquired. Riku thought about this for a moment.

            "Perhaps we'll find out soon, since it's just the two of us now," Riku said thoughtfully. 

            "Hey Riku, do you know what this means?" Sora asked, showing the message he wrote down on his hand. Riku stared at it for a while with a baffled expression.

            "I have no idea what that could be," he said.

            "Me, neither," Sora said despairingly. 

            "Is that the only thing you could find?" Riku questioned. Sora nodded, and pointed to the wall where it was on.

            "See, I wrote it off of that wall," he pointed out. Riku stared at the direction that Sora pointed, but he saw nothing.

            "I don't see it," he said.

            "But it was there just a few minutes ago!" Sora protested. He looked over to the wall and saw the same words that he had written down before. How come Riku couldn't see them?

            "Well, we should at least look around for any more hints of her disappearance. You look after yourself," Riku said and ruffled Sora's hair. He made a slight pouting face and Riku laughed out loud.

            "You're too cute," he told Sora.

            "I'm not cute!" Sora said defensively. Riku only continued to laugh and signaled him to come forward…

                                                                                                            ***

            It was the end of a long day, as Riku and Sora had continuously searched for clues of Kairi suddenly vanishing. None of the other island inhabitants knew anything about it, and there was only so far to look for anything. They both sat on the small island, and were fatigued from the long, strenuous investigation. Sora sat on the trunk of the paopu tree, and looked extremely uneasy. Riku noticed Sora's anxiety, and hugged him from behind. 

            "Don't worry about it, Sora. We are going to find her soon," Riku comforted. Sora noticed the extra tenderness in Riku's voice and touch, and was grateful for both. He needed his (boy?)friend the most right now. 

            "Hey, Riku? Would you consider me to be your…boyfriend?" Sora cautioned. 

            Riku was a little surprised, but then again, he had always expected that this question would come up sooner or later. He wasn't exactly sure himself. He knew he would love to be, but it wouldn't be right without having Kairi know. 

            "Well, I know that you love me, and I love you, too. But, I don't think we should make anything official until Kairi at least knows about it," Riku answered.

            "I guess you're right. I feel a little guilty saying this, but that doesn't mean we have to back off or anything, right?" Sora asked.

            "Hell, no!" Riku immediately said. Sora laughed, and relaxed in the arms of his friend.

            "I guess not, since we've, er, 'been together' for only a day, and we've barely done anything," Sora explained.

            "More the reason for us not to stop," Riku said while smirking, and he held Sora even closer to him. Sora snuggled into Riku's lower body,(he was standing above him,) and relaxed even more. Even with his worries of Kairi weighing on his mind, he could still enjoy this new experience with Riku. He saw Riku's face coming down closer to his, and before he knew it, had received a second kiss from Riku, only this time it was just a light one on the tip of his mouth. A part of him wanted Riku to go deeper into the kiss, like the one they had before, but he usually tried to ignore that desire. After all, they couldn't go too far before they had Kairi back.

                                                                                                           ***

            As the hours went on, the two boys flirted with each other, and sometimes went a little beyond that, until it was finally night. This particular night was stiflingly hot, but the air was clear. One by one, the stars peered out from their hiding place as the darkness was pulled over the sky, like a velvet cloth being pulled over the brilliant oranges and reds of the sunset, and lit up the island with a gentle glow. The moon was facing away from the world and gave no hint of light. The stars were the only thing to guide the young lovers, as they enjoyed the sights that nature displayed to them. The gentle waters of the vast ocean stretched out before them twinkled with the tiny balls of light shining down upon it, as if the heavens had managed to reach the land below. Riku gazed upon these sights with a faraway expression printed on his face. Sora glanced over, and knew immediately that there was no use of speaking to him right now. He knew his friend well, he was dreaming again about the worlds beyond their own. It was one of the things he always adored about him…his ability to dream, to let his mind fly away so far from their own world. He never understood why Riku always told him he sometimes felt like he was trapped in a prison, since his soul always seemed to be free to fly beyond the boundaries of this world.

            "Sora…don't you ever want to just be able to fly away from here, and see what else is out there?" Riku said in a soft, faraway voice. Sora smiled, and looked over at him.

            "I don't see why, since your mind always seems to be away all the time," Sora pointed out. Riku smiled at him, and sighed to himself. He hadn't expected Sora to understand what he had said. Sure, Sora had always been eager for exploring, but the two never felt quite the same way about it. To him, any other worlds out there had seemed so unreachable, so intangible, that he would never be able to seek them out. It was all because they were trapped on this one lonely island, isolated from anything else that may be out there…

            He was pulled out of his thoughts by something he suddenly remembered. He stood up, dusted himself off, and walked over to the other side of the oasis. Sora watched him curiously, as he stood up too. Suddenly, an all too familiar breeze swept across the island, with the patches of grass shifting to the side slightly. Sora remembered these details, and knew exactly what they meant. 

            "Hey Sora, come over here. I want to show you something," Riku said, and beckoned with his finger for Sora to come forward.

            "Riku…don't!" Sora cautioned. He felt the land beneath him begin to crack, and he ran over to Riku, his arm outstretched for him to grab. 

            But it was too late. Sora, within two inches of reaching him, had fallen in with the land and plunged into the depths of the ocean. He could hear Riku calling out his name, but he knew it was no use. If everything went as the dream had planned, he would die very soon. He felt the cold water engulf him and the same feeling of pressure weighing down on him so that he could not reach the surface. He tried to fight it, but could not reach the surface. Even though he knew all odds were against it though, he still did not give up. He thrashed and wailed his arms against the force against him, and did everything he could to reach the surface. He felt a hand grab his own, and he immediately accepted it. He felt himself being pulled up, and as he reached the surface, he gasped for air. He coughed up the water that had been in his lungs, but even with the water removed, his chest still burned. But he could breathe now, and he kept constantly breathing heavily, as if he had to make sure there was still air around him. Riku picked him up and carried him to shore in his arms. Sora clung on to Riku's shirt protectively and buried his head into Riku's chest. Once they reached shore, the burning in Sora's lungs had ceased, and he had stopped breathing heavily. 

            "Riku…God, I  thought I was going to die," Sora whispered.

            "Shh…you're fine now…I'll make sure nothing ever happens to you," Riku promised.

            "Really?" Sora said, looking up at Riku with large, innocent eyes.

            "Of course. I promise I'll always protect you," he said. Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's shoulders in an embrace. Riku returned it with one of his own, and the two of them stayed like that for a while, both wrapped up within each other. 

            "Riku…I love you. I am absolutely sure of it," Sora said.

            "I love you too. I always have, and I always will," Riku replied. 

            "I'm sorry, for all that pain I put you through before," Sora said.

            "It was worth it if I finally have you," Riku assured him. 

            "I know…but you know I still love her too," Sora reminded him.

            "As long as I have your love, it's enough for me," Riku said.

            Eventually, the two felt the waves of sleep overcome them. There they rested in each others arms at last.

                                                                                                            ~***~

            *Phew* I never thought I'd finish this chapter! I kept getting stuck, and I sort of made it up as I went along ^^; Hope you enjoyed it! I'm fairly satisfied with this one, so I hope it's as good as I think it is. Remember, if you want to see more, reviews do inspire me to keep updating sooner J. Until then…


	7. New Friends and New Doubts

            Notes: I noticed that a lot of people are wondering what happened to Kairi, so this chapter will consist of the events that happened before she disappeared, and then after. This is probably going to be a long chapter, because I will include Sora and Riku too. Hope you enjoy it, and bring on the reviews! I love 'em. 

                                                                                                                        ***

            Kairi ways laying on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She kept attempting to fall asleep, but it was no use. Her thoughts and worries kept re-occurring as the hours wore on. She couldn't help but feel that something was wrong…something in the air felt uneasy. She could feel the disturbance as thick as the air outside, as if a sudden weight had forced itself down in her mind. 

            Suddenly, she heard the shattering of glass, and felt the shards fall onto her bed. Immediately she sprung out of her bed and jumped back with an alert look on her face. She was in a defensive stance, and looked around for her invader. A figure in all black stood before her. Even though she tried to escape, the stranger grabbed her by the wrist and held her there. She struggled against it, but it was no use. No matter how hard she pulled at her wrist to be free, the figure's grip held firm. Swiftly, the stranger scribbled something onto her wall, and grabbed Kairi around the waist. The stranger jumped out of the window with Kairi and disappeared into the night…  

                                                                                                                        ***

            The next morning, Kairi woke up with a splitting headache. Her  head was spinning with the previous events of that night. She was lying on a hard stone ground; her entire body ached from being on such a hard surface all night long. She sat up, stretched, and had a look of her surroundings.

            It was a dungeon-like place, with stone, gray walls and matching floors. The place seemed to be abandoned, so she let herself wander around. She looked for any sort of exits, and found a large opening at the far end of the room. As she began her way out, she felt herself run into somebody. 

            "I..I'm sorry! I was just," but then she paused for a moment, and saw who she ran into.

            It was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Her hair was a light brown with blonde streaks flowing through her waves. Her eyes behind her lenses were the deepest blue that she had ever seen.

::_Almost as blue as Sora's…maybe even bluer._:: she admired.

            The girl peered down at her severely, almost like she was trying to see right through Kairi. It made Kairi feel like she had done some kind of wrong-doing.

            "What are you trying to do? You can not wander off from here," she said in a commanding voice. Kairi stepped back nervously.

            "I'm…sorry…I didn't know. I don't even know where I am," Kairi said apologetically. She looked over the girl for a second, and suddenly realized something.

            "Y-you! You took me away from my home, didn't you!" she exclaimed.

            "Yes, I did. It was my assignment, after all," the girl explained.

            "Assignment? For what?" Kairi asked.

            "That's none of your concern," she promptly answered.

            "I think it is! I want to know why I was taken away," Kairi commanded.

            "I will not take orders from anyone except for my leader," she stated.

            "At least tell me who you are!" Kairi exclaimed.

            The girl looked a little alarm by Kairi's sudden statement. But she regained her serious composure and spoke to her again.

            "My name is Danielle, if it is that important to you. My leader has ordered me to keep you as my captive." 

            "Can you tell me where I am?" Kairi asked.

            "You are at the prison quarters of the ASHA HQ. Obviously, this is not your original world. It was necessary to bring you here from your own world," she said in a droned out tone that suggested she had to recite this many times.

            "When can I return to my own world?" Kairi questioned.

            "Whenever the master says so," she answered. "I ask you to stay inside your quarters for the time being. I will bring you to the master as soon as he wishes."

            With that, the door that Kairi had not seen before had shut her out. She was trapped in this strange world, without a single sight of anyone she knew, and worst of all, she was in a world without Sora.

            "Sora…wherever you are…I love you,"

                                                                                                                        ***

            For a while, Kairi kept sitting there, thinking about her home and Sora. Suddenly, the door opened again, and Danielle entered in. She was not dressed in the all black uniform(Kairi assumed it was a uniform anyways,) but in more causal clothing. She stood next to where Kairi was sitting, and gave her a warm smile.

            "Hey, sorry for that bad first impression. It's our kind of 'official speech' thing that we have to give our 'prisoners'. Truthfully, I don't like constantly reciting it over and over," she explained. 

            Kairi did not know how to respond to this, so she looked down at the floor and seemed extremely interested in its rocky texture. 

            "I've had to look after many people. But you I really feel bad for," Danielle said. "I didn't like the idea of taking you from your own world like that and then suddenly plunging you into this forsaken place. So, I want to help you, if that's okay with you. Once our leader is done with whatever he wants with his prisoners, he usually disposes of them. Me, I try my best to save every one of my prisoners I watched over. Although, a lot of them I wasn't able to," she mentioned.

            Kairi was a little alarmed at the last statement, but she felt like she could trust Danielle. Somehow, though she wasn't able to explain it, she could sense that Danielle was trustworthy. After all, if people really did get killed here, she might have a chance of survival if she placed her faith in Danielle.

            "Thank you. I hope I can get back to my own world," Kairi said to her with a smile.

            "Don't worry about it. For now, I have to follow my orders. Whenever we're outside of this room, I have to act like how I did before. But when we're in here, I can pretty much discuss anything as long as there isn't a prisoner inspection," Danielle assured.

            "Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot to say who I am. My name is Kairi," she said. "I also want to know a few things. I need a better idea of what exactly I'm dealing with."

            "I can tell you whatever you need to know. Just try to keep it down whenever you ask me something," Danielle cautioned.

            "First of all, what does ASHA stand for?" she asked.

            "I'm just a prisoner guard…I don't get told information like that," Danielle explained.

            "Not even who you're working for?" Kairi questioned.

            "Yeah, I know. It's insane, our leader's such a security nut that no one on the lower class knows about anything except what goes on with the prisoners. I, however, manage to at least find out what happens to my prisoners," Danielle said with a wink. Kairi grinned, and kept questioning her further.

            "So, why does the 'leader' take prisoners?"

            "Well, he usually has individual reasons for individual people. Usually, he wants to take the most important person out of their words and do whatever he thinks is necessary," Danielle answered.

            "Most important person? But, I'm nothing important! I hardly have any strength at all, nor the power to protect anybody," Kairi mentioned. Danielle put a hand firmly on her shoulder.

            "If the leader chose you, there has to be something important about you. There's always something important about everyone. That's what I had to learn since I've been working here as the lowest class besides the prisoners," Danielle said firmly. Kairi seemed a little uncomfortable by the touch, but didn't mention it. Besides, what she had just said was a really nice thing to say about her.

            "Thanks…that was really nice," Kairi mentioned.

            "No problem. You seem like a sweet girl, and while I don't know you too well, I think I'll definitely be able to."

            "I have that same feeling. After you walked in here for the second time, I sort of felt like I can trust you," Kairi mentioned. She was a little unsure about admitting that sort of thing, and was wary of Danielle's reaction.

            "Wow, really?" Danielle said, astonished.

            "Yeah, I do," Kairi said, a lot more sure of herself.

            "Wow…every time I captured somebody they always seemed to be afraid of me, even after I told them I was going to help them," Danielle said.

            "Well, I was a little suspicious at first, but then I had this…feeling that I could trust you," Kairi explained. "It's a little weird, I know, but it's true."

            "No, I believe you, I'm just still surprised. It seems like everybody here eventually becomes paranoid, and they feel as though they can't trust anyone. But, probably since I have only worked with prisoners, I don't feel that way."

            "Yeah, some people may call it naïve, but I don't think easily trusting somebody is too ignorant. If you don't trust anyone, especially when you're in this kind of a situation, then you pretty much have no hope. If you're untrusting, then your alone. If you're alone, you have no hope," Kairi said.

            Danielle was silent for a moment, as if she was thinking about what Kairi had just said. Then she spoke again to her.

            "Too many people loose hope in this place. But you…you will probably survive." 

            Kairi just stared at her for a second. She wasn't quite sure what to think of that, but she also hoped that Danielle was right. 

            The strange thing to Kairi was, she wasn't afraid of what might happen to her, or if she would loose her life. She didn't even fear never returning home. She felt a lot more relaxed when she talked with Danielle like this, just asking questions and sharing opinions. Danielle wasn't anything like Selphie, who was extremely hyper, but very fun to be around. It wasn't like being with Danielle wasn't fun either, but she was so much more reserved than Selphie, even more than Sora. She wasn't quite like Riku, who was purely calm, since she was really outgoing and openly friendly. Riku was pretty outgoing himself, but not quite in the way that Danielle was. Growing up on the island had made her think that the only type of people that existed were like the other inhabitants, until she had listened to Riku questioning about any other worlds outside of their own. Then she began to wonder what everybody was like out there, how were they different from her own friends? After that, she had joined in with the enthusiasm of going off to other worlds that Sora and Riku shared. 

            "Thinking about your own world?" Danielle said, interrupting Kairi's train of thought.

            "H-how did you…" Kairi was about to ask.

            "I see plenty of people around here with that exact same expression on their face when they think of their home," Danielle said.

            "God…that's awful…what kind of a terrible person would take people out of their own worlds without them suspecting it?" Kairi asked to no one in particular.

            "Our leader is that terrible person…" Danielle said, but then covered her hand with her mouth.

            "What's wrong?" Kairi asked anxiously.

            "It's okay…I'm just not allowed to say stuff like that out loud about the leader," Danielle whispered.

            "Are all leaders like that? I've never had any type of 'leader' in the sense that you do on my world," Kairi said.

            "There are some good leaders of the worlds that are out there. Some run the order of the worlds, and some run the operations taking place in the worlds. Kind of how this is run. It's a system within the world that is run by one person. There are even more places like this one, especially on this world, and all are run by leaders just as poorly as this one," Danielle explained.

            "I'm still not sure I understand the purpose of this place. What does it do for this world?" Kairi asked.

            "I have no idea. This isn't my original world either, and since I work at the lowest job for this place, I'm almost as clueless as you," Danielle said.

            "Oh! This is off subject, but I thought I saw you write something on the wall of my bedroom when you took me away. What did you write?" Kairi questioned.

            "Oh, that! Yeah, it was something my master told me to write, all though I have no idea why," Danielle said. She pulled a sheet of paper out of her pocket and showed the words to Kairi: 

                                                                                                NOS HABEMUS LUCET IGITUR ADVESPERASCIT

            "Nos…what in the world does that mean?" Kairi said, confused.

            "It means, 'We have the light, therefore, it gets dark' Personally, I thought it was the dumbest thing in the world when our leader translated it for me. It's pretty obvious it gets dark if you take the light. But anyways, it's a language that isn't even spoken anymore, from a world extremely far away. The language is called Latin, and it hasn't been spoken in centuries," Danielle said.

            "Really? That's kind of cool," Kairi said.

            And on the conversation went between the captor and the prisoner. Even with all of her worries, Kairi at least could have someone to confine in, and until she would get home, she would survive. She would deal with whatever this mysterious place threw at her, and she would live…if for anything, for Sora.

                                                                                                                        ***

            Sora woke up with the sun shining brightly into his eyes. He felt  grains of sand spread out all over his arms and legs, and even some in his shoes. He opened his eyes, and let out a gasp of surprise. For a minute, he didn't know where he was, or why he was outside. But then he remembered what had happened before…the dream becoming real…and Riku had saved him…

            The memory of being wrapped in Riku's arms as he was carried onto the shore still made Sora sigh dreamily. Thinking back to that moment, he realized how Riku would go to any lengths to protect him. He sat up and stretched. He dusted his arms off and shook the sand out of his shoes. Riku wasn't anywhere in sight, so he went out looking for him. He walked a little ways down the beach until he arrived at the now broken island. 

            He felt empty inside as he saw the remains of the place where he and Riku had often competed with each other, and had talked with each other so many times. Also, he felt a loss when he thought of the paopu tree now gone. 

            That tree…it was where he and Kairi had met often too. After hearing the romantic legend, he had wished to share one with Kairi at that time. He walked over to the island's remains, and shifted around through the bits of rock and dirt that still remained there. He managed to find one single paopu fruit swaying in the tides. He picked it up and held it in his hands. Then, suddenly, as if he had just realized what he was doing with Riku and that Kairi had disappeared somewhere, he started to pay the ultimate price of guilt that he knew would come sooner or later. 

            At that moment, with Kairi not there, he began to regret his swaying feelings. She had disappeared right out his life and he was barely sad…as if she meant nothing to him…as if just because he had another person to love she didn't matter anymore. The loss of the paopu tree felt like the loss of her from his life. He still loved her, she still held a strong place in his heart. It was as if her disappearance had been his fault because he began to love Riku too. It was his fault that Kairi had gone without a trace, and she would leave him forever. He would never see her bright smile or her shining eyes peering into his own because he had been so stupid and was abandoning his feelings for her.

            Of course, it sounded pretty ridiculous in his head logically. But it hurt…the pain was only increasing. He felt his eyes burn with the sadness that lay inside of him.                                                            "What have I done? What the HELL have I done?!" Sora said, his voice raised and unstable.

            That got Riku's attention, as he suddenly came to the spot where Sora was still kneeling over the broken island. He put his hand on Sora's shoulder, and was at a loss for words. Sora turned around and smothered his face into Riku's chest.

            "She's gone, Riku. She's gone and I barely cared! It's all my fault," Sora cried.

            Riku knew immediately who he was talking about and felt a twinge of jealousy and hurt rise up in his chest. But he ignored that for now, since Sora needed his comfort. He stroked Sora's hair gently and whispered in his ear words of comfort.

            "Shh…it's okay, it's not your fault at all. We don't know what happened," he said gently. Sora tried his best to calm down, but he stayed in Riku's arms anyway. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, he wasn't sure if he should have been with Riku like this. He didn't think they should have been together like this at all. Yet, he wanted Riku's love and attention, just as much as he wanted to return it. He was extremely confused right now, and he wasn't sure which one he really wanted the most.

            Riku held Sora to him closer and began to feel a little hurt inside. Sure, Sora had told him that he loved him, but he still loved Kairi. He knew that this was going to cause a lot of problems for them, but he had tried not to think about it. Plus they didn't exactly have a 'relationship' despite the fact they had both said they loved each other. He tried to tell himself that it was enough to have Sora actually love him, but a part of him wanted Sora's heart to belong only to him. It was a little selfish, but what if he decided that he loved Kairi more and abandoned Riku? That short-lived dream that his usual daydreams of Sora contained would end in the bittersweet reality. 

            "Riku…don't ever leave me," Sora whispered. 

            Riku was a little startled at first, but then smiled warmly at Sora and titled his face up.

            "I won't, not ever. I'll do anything to help you find Kairi, if that's what you want," Riku said.      

            "Thanks, Riku. I love you," Sora said, making an effort to smile.

            Riku returned that smile, but had feelings of uncertainty. He wanted Sora's happiness more than anything else in the world, but would it mean the end of he and Sora being together if Kairi did come back? If Sora did still want to be with her…if in the end he did choose her…

            He sighed heavily and tried to tell himself that if Sora would be happier with Kairi, it was best for his benefit. It didn't help much to think this, in fact, he kept fearing that he would lose Sora just as quickly as he finally had him.

            "Riku…I'm glad you're with me. Even though I sort of feel guilty about me doing all of that with you and I was still with Kairi…I don't regret any of it. I know now that I really do love you, and as long as I have you, I know I'll at least be okay," Sora said.

            Riku smiled, and hugged Sora. It seemed like Sora could read his mind and knew exactly what to say to counter whatever depressing thoughts ran through it. As long as he had Sora right now, nothing else mattered.

                                                                                                            ~***~

Ending notes: Ugh, that was a PAIN to write. I might re-do some bits because my eyes are so tired. I hardly knew what I was writing sometimes O.o;. The bits about the ASHA are very very vague halfway because it's suppose to be since my OC doesn't know too much about it, and halfway because I have no clue yet what exactly it should be ^^;. Speaking of the OC…eep, risky to stick one in my first fanfiction, but I hope she wasn't too terrible. Also, how do you guys feel about girl/girl relationships for this story? Sorry I don't really have any straight couples in this story, but I probably will in later stories I may write. Also, don't worry about Sora and Riku, they are not going to split apart. I can give you that reassurance. I didn't have much Sora/Riku cuz of the whole thing with Kairi, and my eyes were just plain getting tired. But something is going to happen to them, too! I just…have no idea what. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reviewing, and keep reviewing! ^^

Fixed the typo too ^^;;


	8. Death Sentence

Author's Notes: I liiiive! Hehe, I've had writer's block for a little while, and I wasn't getting as many reviews, so I haven't been too inspired. I finally have an idea of what's going to happen to our main couple, Sora and Riku. Lots of action, and a few romantic moments between them, is what I hope for. I'm still making it up as I go along, but it'll turn out all right in the end. 

                                                                                                ***

            The sun rose up with a misty pink glow, casting its light on the outstretched shore of the island.  The calm waters sparkled under the sun, giving it almost a magical look.  The remains of the once standing oasis were floating atop the surface of the water, rocking back and forth in the calm tides.  Two young boys of fourteen and fifteen were laying on the shore, peacefully asleep in the serenity of the newborn day.

            A pair of brilliant green eyes slowly revealed themselves, as they squinted in the sun shining directly into them.  He opened them up all of the way and saw the younger boy peacefully asleep.  He seemed to be undisturbed by the troubles that had suddenly occurred with him these past few days.  Riku smiled, stroked the boy's face, and hoped that he was not having an uneasy rest.  The way he broke down yesterday was still bothering Riku for more than one reason.  First of all, he couldn't stand to see Sora in such a state as he was the previous evening.  Secondly, while he knew the boy had feelings for him, there was still Kairi involved.  The fear remained, no matter how hard he had tried to push it away, that Sora would choose Kairi instead of him in the end, especially if he was so bothered by her absence.  He really hoped that Sora was not just using him as a replacement for Kairi, but he was sure that his Sora would never do something as selfish as that. 

            _His_ Sora…could he really call him that?  Their relationship was still questionable, and undecided.  Although he desperately wanted to work this out with Sora, he knew that Sora had more than enough on his mind than to think about something as petty as a relationship…or that is how it seemed like in comparison to their current situation.  If Sora needed to know as much as he did, eventually he would definitely bring it up. 

            He saw two deep blue eyes opening from his friend's pretty face.  Suddenly, he sat up which startled Riku a little bit. 

            "Where am I…oh…right…"? Sora said sheepishly.  "I seem to be doing a lot of this these days."

            "Doing a lot of what?"  Riku inquired.

            "Waking up in another place besides my room," Sora said with a grin.

            Riku smiled gently at him, and stroked Sora's bangs away from his face.  Of course, having hair as stubborn as Sora's, the strands of hair only moved back, but it only gave Riku more of an excuse to touch the boy's beautiful face.  Sora sighed dreamily and placed his own hand on top of Riku's. This was always one of the most favorite things that he and Riku did together.  Even when he was troubled, he could still enjoy moments like these. 

            "Riku…I'm sorry," Sora said.

            "What for?"

            "For…yesterday.  I didn't mean…I mean…I feel bad for getting so upset over Kairi and I know that you like me and everything…and.... and," but Sora was hushed by a finger being placed over his mouth.

            "You don't have to apologize for something like that.  You should never apologize for the way you feel," Riku said sternly.  Sora shrunk back, feeling a little guilty that he made Riku angry with him.

            For a little while, the two of them sat there awkwardly, not able to look at each other.  Finally, Sora decided to ask something that had been weighing on his and Riku's mind, (although he did not know that Riku had wanted to know too,).

            "Um…Riku?  I know we said we shouldn't be officially together until we find Kairi…but I still want to know if you would consider us a 'couple'," Sora said.

"Well, I was thinking about that too, and…I think we should at least consider ourselves together," Riku said, relieved that Sora had broken the silence and had asked this.

"Yeah…me too.  I really want to be with you, Riku," Sora said softly.

"I want to be with you, too."

Sora reached his arms around Riku's waist and leaned his head against Riku's chest.  He placed his legs across Riku's lap and snuggled close to him.  He needed Riku right now to be secure with him…he needed him more than ever. 

Riku lifted Sora's chin up and met with a pair of deep blue innocent eyes.  Sora's eyes, in Riku's opinion, had to be the most beautiful pair of eyes that had ever existed.  He leaned his face down to Sora's mouth and placed his own mouth upon it.  He deepened the kiss, making it more passionate than the usual light pecks they gave each other during the day.  Sora sighed and felt his waist being caressed by Riku's strong hands. He pulled Riku closer to him, only making their kiss deeper.  He felt up Riku's upper body, from the top of his chest down to his lower waist.

They pulled apart and slowly ran their hands over the parts of their bodies that they were currently caressing.  They looked into each other's eyes, but then Sora suddenly looked away.

"I'm sorry, Riku.  I still…it's just not right," Sora muttered. "I still feel so guilty."

Riku felt part of his stomach jerk with the all too familiar feeling whenever Sora would mention Kairi.  He hated feeling this jealous, but he also hated the fact that Sora still had lingering feelings for Kairi.  He had a bad feeling that this would create even worse problems for them if they were going to try to be together. 

A part of him wanted Sora to forget about Kairi, to only love him.  But another part of him only wanted Sora's happiness. Of course, that was all he wanted in the world, but a more selfish part only wanted Sora to be happy with him.  However, he tried to not show his frustrations to him, so that Sora would not have even MORE to worry about.

"It's okay…just give it time. Let's go look for more hints of where Kairi may be," Riku offered.  Sora nodded, and the two of them, while holding hands, set off to the one place they have not yet searched…the Secret Place.

                                                                                                ***

            The two boys walked to the familiar entrance and carefully examined the surroundings of the large opening. They looked the best that they could in the darkness of the tunnel as they slowly began to walk through.

            "Anything on your side?" Riku asked.

            "Not that I see, although I can hardly see at all," Sora said.

            They continued to look alongside the walls, but there were no clues whatsoever. They arrived at the main opening deep in the cave with the many childish scribbles engraved onto the rocks and on the walls. They saw nothing out of the ordinary; if there were something different on the walls or rocks, they would be the ones to know. 

As Sora was looking around, he saw out of the corner of his eye a strange message on the usual plain wooden door. At first, he thought it was only a trick of his mind, but then he looked all the way over and saw what the message said:

                                                **NOS HABEMUS LUCET IGITUR ADVESPERASCIT**

"Riku!  Look!  It's that message again!  The one I said I saw in Kairi's room!" Sora exclaimed. Riku whirled around from the spot where he was previously looking and glanced over where Sora was pointing. He only saw the wooden door, which was without any messages.

"I don't see it," Riku said.

"It's right there! Why can't you see it?" Sora questioned.

"I don't know…maybe I'm not meant to…" Riku wondered.

"What do you mean, not meant to? Why wouldn't you be?" Sora asked.

"There has to be some kind of connection with you and Kairi," Riku reasoned.

"Yeah…I did see it when I found out she disappeared," Sora said.

Suddenly the words on the door circled around and rearranged themselves in a different order. The message now read:

                                                **_WE HAVE THE LIGHT, THEREFORE, IT GETS DARK_**

At first, Sora just stood there in disbelief. Then he finally voiced the right words that he was thinking.

"Is that supposed to be helpful??"

"What? What does it say?" Riku questioned.

"It says, 'we have the light, therefore, it gets dark.' Is THAT suppose to lead us to Kairi?" Sora said in disbelief.  

"We have the light…is the light suppose to be Kairi?" Riku wondered.

"Maybe…it gets dark…is something going to happen now that she's gone?" Sora said.

At that moment, the ground began to shake. They could hear a rumbling from outside the Secret Place, and heard trees being ripped out of their roots. Immediately, they held onto each other as tightly as they could, as the cave began to collapse onto them. The entire island was blown to smithereens.

                                                                                    ***

Kairi sat on the hard ground, waiting for Danielle to return. She went off to find out why Kairi had been taken prisoner of the ASHA.

"It'll be no big deal. Trust me, I've done this for a few years…and if I get caught, they'll just think that since I'm a prison guard I won't know any better," Danielle had told her before she snuck off. Still, despite the fact that she obviously had experience in this matter, she was still worried about her new friend. This place looked loaded with security and she didn't want Danielle to get in trouble just because of her.

Meanwhile, Danielle was waiting on word of the new prisoner in her usual spying spot; a spot in the ceiling of the main office where she could just barely fit herself without making it noticeable from the office below. 

She saw the familiar face of her boss, one that she was never suppose to lay eyes on according to the rules of the company. Since she was on the lowest level besides the prisoners, she had the fewest amounts of rights. She saw another man that she had never seen before, talking to the leader.

"So we have her now?" the man asked.

"Yes, we do. She is being taken care of by prison guard 41288, age sixteen," the leader informed him.

"Yukio, is it truly wise to leave a prisoner as important as she in the hands of somebody so young?" the man challenged.

::Yukio? Is that his name? I thought no one was allowed to know it. Who is this man?:: Danielle wondered to herself.

"I couldn't put her with somebody older. She has to trust the guard enough so that we can carry out our plans," Yukio answered.  Danielle listened in even closer. 

"Right…what will happen to her once her purpose is done?" the man asked.

"Her home will be destroyed without her there. Of course, it was not her original home, but somehow, she is the key to holding that place together. When she left, the world itself slowly began to collapse. I do not know why that is, but we must keep her away from her island or else…_he_…could ruin all of our plans."

" 'He', sir?" the man wanted to know.

"The future Keyblade Master. He has not been decided yet, but he lives, or lived rather, on the island. Now both the boys in prospect of becoming the Keyblade Master have most likely been killed. After we have confirmed their deaths, we'll kill the girl for good measure," Yukio explained.

"HELL, no!" Danielle said a little louder than she had intended. Immediately, the two men looked up at the source of the voice. 

"And it looks like number 41288 is having a little trouble in the ceiling," Yukio said in a deadly voice.

"Shit!" Danielle said, not bothering to be quiet now. She crawled quickly through the ceiling as best she could, and then found the way that she had come in. She had managed to make a couple of ceiling tiles fall, making her presence even more obvious. She lowered herself down from the usual opening that she always went in to spy on the leader.

She began to walk at a brisk pace over to Kairi's cell. What would she tell her? That her entire homeland was destroyed because she was taken away, and now after they made sure two people she probably knew were dead, they would kill her too? What would she think if she found out? 

But, no matter how hard it was for her, Danielle knew she had to let Kairi know what happened. It was always worse not knowing, and fearing the worst. Only…in her opinion, what happened to her island could be considered "the worst" anyways.

                                                                                    ***

Kairi saw Danielle walk in with an anxious expression. She wondered what was wrong…and did it have to do with anything about what was going to happen to her.

"Danielle, what is it? What'd you find out?" Kairi asked.

"I…went over to the office where our leader, whom I now know is addressed as Yukio, and heard him talking to a man I've never seen before. The man knew his name, and nobody in the ASHA is ever suppose to address the leader by his name…or even know his name for that matter. Anyways, they said that you were the key to holding your homeland together…and once I removed you from your home…it was destroyed. They wanted…to kill two certain boys so I guess they had no problem with the whole thing blowing up or whatever happened to it. They also said something about a 'Keyblade Master,' interfering with their plans...whatever they are. Once their deaths are confirmed…they will kill you too," Danielle said, reciting all that she had heard.

Kairi's expression was unreadable. She was trying to let this all sink in…and suddenly she looked extremely upset.

"I'm sorry…I know it's sudden, but I didn't want to keep anything from you," Danielle explained.

"It's okay.  Thanks for telling me," Kairi said in barely a whisper. Danielle cautiously put a hand on her shoulder. Kairi began to tremble and then she fell into Danielle's arms. At first, Danielle was a little stunned, not expecting such a reaction. But she put a comforting arm around her friend and held her there as long as she needed to be. 

"Don't worry, Kairi. They haven't even confirmed their deaths yet. We still don't know if any of them are alive, but at least we don't know if they're dead either," Danielle assured her. That did help her a little.

"I think…I know who they're talking about. My two friends, Sora and Riku. One of them's my boyfriend, and they're the two strongest people on the island," Kairi said in a shaky voice.

"Boyfriend?" Danielle asked suddenly. Kairi nodded, and Danielle decided not to press on that subject, since it would be a bad time. Kairi was still obviously upset.

"E-even though it's not my real home…I still…I still can't believe it was destroyed! It's where I grew up and now everything's gone…including the one I loved," Kairi said, and then started sobbing. Danielle put her arm back around her and begain to comfort her. 

"It's going to be okay, Kairi. Trust me, you have to, and I know this might sound naïve, but you have to have faith in them! If they're really that important, then their hearts will be strong enough to survive," Danielle told her.

"Their hearts?" Kairi asked, still crying.

"It's…an old thing my mother used to talk about. She said our hearts were a part of our spirit, and if we kept our spirit strong, then our hearts would be able to survive anything. That's why, whenever I was sad about anything, she told me to keep my sprits up so that I could manage through my problems," Danielle explained. "I've always believed it though."

"I remember…from a long time ago, a story my grandmother told me. She said that there was light in the world, but then since everybody wanted it, they created darkness in their hearts. But then in the hearts of children, the light remained. So, no matter how much darkness is in your heart, there is a light that will never fade," Kairi said, a lot calmer now.

"Was that in your other world?" Danielle asked.

"Yes. I don't remember anything else besides that, but for some reason, I was thrown out of my own world to Destiny's Island…the world in which you took me from," Kairi said.

"I know…in a way I feel at fault for your world being destroyed," Danielle commented.

"Don't worry, you were only following orders. If there's anyone to blame, it's that Yukio man," Kairi said furiously.

"I understand how you feel. That's why I've been freeing prisoners for so long. It's the only way I can possibly rebel against him," Danielle said.

"Is there any possible way my world can be restored?" Kairi said pleadingly.

"There may be. Whatever was the cause of it blowing up merely because you left has to be found out, and then we can see if it is possible. That's the only thing I can think of," Danielle said. 

"And…Sora's alive…I just know he is. And Riku…he's alive too," Kairi said determinately. 

Danielle guessed that this 'Sora' was her boyfriend. She felt a little jealous, but she had no idea why. For now she just shook the feeling off. Right now, she needed to help her prisoner, and her new friend, Kairi.

                                                                        ~*** ~

Ending notes: My GOD, I could not get this chapter finished! Anyways, this didn't turn out as good as I wanted it to be. The part with Sora and Riku ended up very bad. I had writer's block for about a week -_- so I'm a little rusty. But, that's okay, because the next chapter will hopefully be a lot more interesting. Well, review if ya want, it helps get chapters up a lot quicker if you do ^^. No pressure or anything =P. 


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